Yes — buying a suppressor in Texas without a tax stamp is now possible, because the federal transfer tax on suppressors dropped from $200 to $0 on January 1, 2026. What has not changed is everything else. You still have to file ATF Form 4, submit fingerprints and a photograph, pass a background check, and wait for ATF approval before you can take the suppressor home. Taking possession without that approval is a federal felony, no matter what Texas law says.
What the 2026 Tax Change Actually Did
For decades, the National Firearms Act transfer tax on suppressors was $200. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in 2025, reset that tax to $0 effective January 1, 2026. The $0 rate applies to suppressors and most other NFA items; machine guns and destructive devices still carry the original $200 tax.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5811 – Transfer Tax
The tax is the only piece that went away. Registration, the background check, the fingerprint submission, and ATF approval all remain fully in effect. You file the same paperwork and wait the same way. You just don’t write a $200 check at the end.
How to Buy a Suppressor in Texas
Every step has to happen in order. Skipping ahead or taking possession early creates federal liability for you and for the dealer.
- Find an NFA dealer. You need a Federal Firearms Licensee with a Special Occupational Tax (SOT) designation. Most dedicated suppressor retailers and many larger gun shops hold this license.
- Choose and pay for the suppressor. The dealer holds it in inventory while the ATF processes your paperwork. You typically pay in full at purchase, but you don’t walk out with the item that day.
- File ATF Form 4. This is the application for transfer and registration. Your dealer files it electronically through the ATF eForms system. The form identifies you, the suppressor, and the dealer. Individual applicants must provide fingerprints and a photograph, and many dealers capture these on-site using kiosks.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5812 – Transfers
- Wait for the background check and approval. The ATF reviews the application and denies it if the transfer would put you in violation of any law.
- Pick up the suppressor. Once approved, the ATF sends the dealer a digital approval document. Only then can you take possession.
Each suppressor needs its own Form 4 and its own approval. Three suppressors means three applications.
How Long Approval Takes
Wait times have dropped sharply. As of early 2026, the ATF reports median processing times for eForm 4 applications of roughly 10 days for individual applicants and 26 days for trust applicants.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current Processing Times Paper submissions take slightly longer. Those are medians, not guarantees. Some applications clear in a day or two. Others take over a month if the ATF flags something for additional review.
Who Cannot Buy a Suppressor
You have to be legally eligible to possess a firearm. The federal prohibitions that apply to firearms apply to suppressors, and the ATF will deny your Form 4 if you are:4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison (typically a felony)
- A fugitive from justice
- An unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance
- Adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- An undocumented immigrant, or, with limited exceptions, present on a nonimmigrant visa
- Dishonorably discharged from the military
- Subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders
- Convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
A licensed dealer cannot sell a suppressor to anyone under 21.
Register to Yourself or to a Trust
When you file your Form 4, the suppressor is registered either to you as an individual or to an NFA trust. Both are legal, and the choice affects who can lawfully handle the item.
With individual registration, only you can legally possess the suppressor. Handing it to a friend at the range or letting a spouse store it while you’re out of town technically puts them in possession of an unregistered NFA item, which is a federal violation even when nobody meant to break a rule.
An NFA trust makes the trust the legal owner. Any trustee named on the trust can possess and use the suppressor without the original buyer present. Inheritance is also simpler, because when the grantor dies a successor trustee takes over without triggering a new transfer. The tradeoffs are the setup cost of drafting the trust and the fact that every trustee listed as a responsible person must submit fingerprints, a photograph, and a background check with the Form 4. Trust applications also tend to process slightly slower than individual ones.
Texas HB 957 Does Not Replace Federal Registration
Texas passed House Bill 957 in 2021. It declares that suppressors manufactured and kept within Texas are “not subject to federal law or federal regulation, including registration,” bars state and local agencies from enforcing federal suppressor regulations that go beyond Texas law, and removes suppressors from the list of prohibited weapons in the Texas Penal Code so long as the item is registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record or otherwise exempt.5Texas Legislature Online. 87(R) HB 957 – Enrolled Version
HB 957 does not shield you from federal prosecution. The ATF issued an open letter to Texas firearms dealers stating that because HB 957 directly conflicts with federal firearms laws, federal law supersedes it, and all provisions of the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act continue to apply to every person in Texas. The Form 4 process is still mandatory regardless of where the suppressor was manufactured. People who have tested the theory have faced federal charges.
The Penalty for Skipping Registration
Possessing a suppressor without completing federal registration is a felony under the National Firearms Act. The maximum penalty is ten years in federal prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5871 – Penalties The ATF can also seize and forfeit the suppressor and any firearms associated with the violation.
With the tax now at $0 and median approval under two weeks for individuals, there is no financial reason to skip the paperwork. File the Form 4, wait for approval, and take possession legally.